Electronic media is great (I've got a Kindle and love it!) HOWEVER, I like to
have something I can hold in my hands and turn the pages, especially when
working on gear or doing a D-I-Y project.
As for my K2 and K3 rigs, I've print off copies of the product reviews in QST,
along with mods/fixes from the Elecraft site, and have had them bound at
Staples or Office Max, into a "tech-manual" that I can use when I work on the
radios. Also included are copies of e-mails from Gary Surrency, AB7MY, and Ron
Wilhelm, W4FPR, that have answered specific questions I've had regarding the
rigs. All this info is in addition to the written manual. The nice part about
my home made tech-manual is it is coil bound and lays flat on the workbench or
can be folded back upon itself to save workbench area if needed.
Unfortunately, the odd size of the K2 option build/installation bulletins means
they don't fit the standard 8.5 x 11 inch paper format. Therefore, I have them
bound in a separate coil bound volume that I can grab if needed. All this
sounds like a lot of work, and it is, but it is worth it when I really need
information in a hurry. It saves me from shuffling through stacks of manuals,
paperwork, used bookie slips, traffic tickets, etc!!
Vy 73 es Gud DX
Rich Arland, K7SZ
"Cogito Ergo CQ!" ("I think therefore I HAM!" w/apologies to Rene Descartes
1596-1650)
Columnist: "The Learning Curve" CQ Magazine
Columnist: "QRP Power" QST Magazine (Jan 2000 to Dec 2003)
Author: "The ARRL's Low Power Communications, The Art and Science of QRP" (all
4 editions)
Political understatement of the decade: "The problems we face today exist
because the people who work for a living are outnumbered by those people who
vote for a living!" (de: Dr Jack Wheeler)
> Date: Thu, 29 Mar 2012 05:29:41 -0400
> From: n...@nf4l.com
> To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net
> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft Digest, Vol 95, Issue 50 - Electronic
> manuals
>
> It's nice to have both. The electronic one gives you a great ability to
> find things, it's easily updated, and takes up no space on the bookshelf
> or coffee table. And it's harder to misplace. It's dirt cheap compared
> to paper.
>
> The paper one is good so I don't have to either build on my operating
> desk, or carry a computer to the workbench, and it's handier for
> checking off steps, and reading in my recliner.
>
> 73, Mike NF4L
>
> On 3/28/12 9:30 PM, Scott wrote:
> > Personally, I don't really care how many trees are used up. They grow
> > back. I want a paper copy of the manual. Then I can look up whatever I
> > want without a computer.
> >
> > Scott
> > KF5MHS
> >
> > On 3/28/2012 1:04 PM, Ron D'Eau Claire wrote:
> >> While electronic manuals might save trees and PDF's are really great for
> >> searching for information, that won't speed up the delivery of manuals for
> >> new products or updates to manuals significantly.
> >>
> >> 99.9% of the time (and cost) required to create a new document is in the
> >> writing, illustrating, validating and editing. That doesn't change.
> >>
> >> Toward Dale's question, I have a binder for my K2 that I built in 2000 that
> >> has copies of all the many mods and changes that have been made to it over
> >> the years. My K2 has never had a failure, but if it did there'd be repair
> >> log in that binder too. I have considered doing that electronically,
> >> perhaps with a memory stick, but the one advantage of paper is that it does
> >> not require any technology to read it.
> >>
> >> 73,
> >>
> >> Ron AC7AC
> >>
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >>
> >> How about you save the current online manuals and other info to a $4 USB
> >> Memory stick and put it in the box? Maybe Elecraft could even supply a
> >> "Elecraft" branded USB Memory Stick with the latest stuff on it. Then you
> >> would have a record that was consistent with when you bought your radio.
> >> Elecraft could even save the Calibration data to that memory stick as well.
> >> Personally I'd rather have that than the printed manual, and I suspect it
> >> would cost far less given printing and shipping costs.
> >>
> >> Another possibility would be if Elecraft kept archival copies of all
> >> manuals
> >> online.
> >>
> >> Personally I can live without printed manuals -- I like the PDFs, but I do
> >> see Dale's point and the cheap USB Flash Drive seems like a cheap way.
> >>
> >> 73, Bob, B4SON
> >>
> >>
> >> On Wed, Mar 28, 2012 at 9:02 AM, Dale Putnam<daleput...@hotmail.com>
> >> wrote:
> >>
> >>> The one issue that I see with on line manuals ... any ideas?
> >>>
> >>> --... ...--
> >>> Dale - WC7S in Wy
> >>>
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